Anyone who enjoys movies keeps a secret tally of any movie's strengths and weaknesses. Like an Olympic judge rating an athlete's performance, the final score determines whether a movie rates a recommendation or is forgotten as an also-ran.

As far as formula fare goes, one could do worse than the above-middlin' romantic comedy Failure To Launch starring Matthew McConaughey as a 30-something who still lives with his folks (Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw) until they hire a motivationalist (Sarah Jessica Parker) to help him fly the nest. Naturally and against all odds, McConaughey's and Parker's completely artificial relationship blossoms into something more. Here's how I broke it down:

First, it's funny. Not just an occasional giggle, sit-com kind of funny but infused throughout funny. TV vets Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember, who are attached to this year's Steve Carell update of Get Smart, may be green as screenwriters, this being their first project produced, but with that inexperience comes a kind of hunger. Of course, most first-timers become well-fed and lazy after a taste of success like this, but for now, proof of their talent is apparent. Each character is created with a specific purpose, as is every scene, sequence and act. It's all very textbook, but it works. Mark one in the "plus" column.
 

Late last year, The Weinstein Company released The Libertine, Lawrence Dunmore's long-awaited, unrated, Johnny Depp-starring staging of the wine-soaked life and syphillis-stoked death of the Earl of Rochester, for one week for academy consideration. The plan, according to a Weinstein rep that we spoke to in November, was to then put the film back in theaters in January. But its initial re-release date was yesterday, and, needless to say, it's hardly playing at a theater near you. Coming Soon still has The Libertine listed as a January TBA release, but there's not a hint of a release date on the film's official site. I couldn't get anyone on the phone at Weinstein yesterday, but it seems pretty clear what's going on here: Depp has thus far failed to earn any significant nominations, and the film made not a single notable critic's list, and so the distributor assumes there's no financial incentive to give it a wide release. Do you think this is valid? It's not a great picture, but it is worth seeing, and one would imagine that Depp could draw a reasonable audience to anything. Johnny Depp superfans, rise up in revolt!